Ride the Bus Drinking Game Rules: Learn How to Play Ride the Bus

If you’re a fan of drinking games, you might have heard of Ride the Bus. Ride the Bus is a popular card game often played at parties and gatherings. It’s easy to learn but can be challenging to master. This article will review the game’s rules, how to play it, and some strategies to help you win.

What is Ride the Bus Drinking Game?

Ride the Bus is a fun drinking game with a standard deck of cards. The game typically lasts several rounds with three to six people. The game’s goal is to avoid “riding the bus,” which is a penalty for losing the game. Riding the Bus means you have to take several drinks equal to the number of cards in the final row of the Pyramid.

How to Play Ride the Bus?

Ride the Bus aims not to “ride the bus.” To achieve this, you need to win each of the four rounds in the game. The player with the fewest number of drinks at the end of the game is the winner.

Gameplay overview

In Ride the Bus, players start by building a pyramid-shaped structure with cards. Then, players must guess if the next card in the deck will be higher or lower than the card currently facing up. Players who think incorrectly must take a certain number of drinks depending on the phase of the game.

Building the Pyramid

Explanation of the Pyramid

The Pyramid in Ride the Bus is built with ten cards, four cards at the base, three in the middle row, and finally, one at the top. The Pyramid is made by placing the cards face-down on the table as a pyramid.

How to start building the Pyramid

To start building the Pyramid, the dealer deals the first two cards to each player and then lays the remaining cards face-down on the table. Then, the first row of the Pyramid is built by taking one card from the top of the deck and placing it at the bottom to form a Pyramid of four cards.

Building the third row of the Pyramid

To build a third row of the pyramid, players need to match the card currently facing up with a card in their hand. If a player does not have a matching card, they can draw a new card from the deck. The third row of the pyramid is builtPyramidhree face-down cards.

Ride the Bus Drinking Game Rules

Understanding the game rules

Once the pyramid is, built pyramids start the guessing game. The dealer flips over the first card at the top of the pyramid to startPyramidme. Players take turns guessing if the next card will be higher or lower than the card currently facing up. If they assume incorrectly, the number of cards in the pyramid determinPyramidnumber of drinks a player must take.

Dealing the cards

At the beginning of the game, the dealer deals two cards to each player. If a player has an identical card, they can place it on the table to remove one of the cards from their hand. The dealer then sets the remaining cards face-down on the table to form the deck.

How to play the game

When it’s a player’s turn, they must guess whether the next card will be higher or lower than the card currently facing up. If a player guesses correctly, the game continues to the next player. If a player guesses incorrectly, they must “ride the bus” and take a drink for each card in the final row of the pyramid. After the pyramid’s last row is revealed, the player with the most cards in front of them has to “ride the bus” twice.

Rules of Ride the Bus

Ride the Bus is played over four rounds, with different rules and penalties for each round. The game aims to win each match and avoid “riding the bus.” Here are the rules in short with the basic premise that players have to drink if they make a mistake. If a player “rides the bus,” they must drink a pre-determined amount.

  • The bus drinking game is popular and entertaining for social gatherings and parties.
  • It requires a standard deck of cards, eager players, and plenty of alcohol.
  • The objective is to avoid becoming the designated “bus driver” who drinks the most.
  • The game starts with shuffling the deck of cards and laying out a pyramid with decreasing card numbers in each row.
  • Players flip a card from the bottom row and drink the equivalent number of sips for number cards or specific amounts for face cards.
  • An Ace card indicates the player becomes the bus driver and must drink more.
  • Other players can guess the color or value of the next card drawn from the deck to displace the bus driver.
  • The game continues until the round is finished or cards run out.
  • The bus drinking game rules vary depending on the round played.
  • Players have to drink a pre-determined amount if they “ride the bus” or make a mistake.
  • The game provides a fun and sociable experience, often resulting in memorable moments and an excellent icebreaker among groups of friends.

Details of each round

The first round starts with players guessing if the next card will be higher or lower than the card currently facing up. If a player assumes incorrectly, they must “ride the bus” and take one drink for each card in the final row of the pyramid.

The second Pyramid is similar to the first, but players must guess if the next card will be red or black. The penalty for guessing incorrectly is two drinks for each card in the final row of the pyramid. The thiPyramidd has players thinking if the next card will be inside or outside the two cards currently facing up.

The penalty for guessing incorrectly is three drinks for each card in the final row of the pyramid. The fouPyramid final round is the most difficult, as players must think of the exact card facing up. The penalty for guessing incorrectly is four drinks for each card in the final row of the pyramid.

Winning The Pyramid

The winner of the game is the player with the fewest drinks at the end of the game. In the event of a tie, the tied players must “ride the bus” together, and the first player to finish all their drinks is declared the winner.

Tips for Winning Ride the Bus

Ride the Bus aims not to “ride the bus” by winning all four rounds of the game.

Players must make educated guesses about the next card facing up to achieve the game’s objective. Players can also strategize by taking fewer drinks instead of “riding the bus” if they feel unlikely to win that particular round.

To improve your chances of winning, you can memorize the cards played and use this information to make better guesses in later rounds. You can also try to predict patterns in the cards that are being revealed.

For example, if the last few cards have been high, it’s more likely that the next card will be lower. Additionally, you can try to bluff by making guesses inconsistent with the pattern of the cards played.

  • Focus on memorizing the cards during the pyramid-building phase to increase your chances of guessing correctly in later rounds.
  • Always guess high in the first round, as most players tend to place their lowest cards in the bottom row.
  • Keep track of the cards flipped in previous rounds to avoid repeating guesses.
  • Watch your opponents and note their facial expressions and body language when guessing to gain clues about the cards.
  • Make educated guesses based on the cards already revealed and the probability of the remaining cards in the deck.
  • Know when to cut your losses and “ride the bus” rather than risking drinking more by guessing incorrectly.
  • Stay alert and focused throughout the game, as losing track of your guesses and the cards revealed can be easy.
  • Take the opportunity to lay down multiple cards when their values match to move up the pyramid more quickly.
  • Be confident in your guesses, as second-guessing can often lead to mistakes.
  • Lastly, don’t forget that Ride the Bus is a drinking game, so don’t take it too seriously and enjoy the social and fun aspects of the game.

Ride the Bus Game Drinking Game FAQ

How do you play Ride the Bus?

Ride the Bus is a drinking card game requiring a standard deck of 52 cards. It is played with a minimum of three players and a maximum of eight. The game includes four rounds, and each match is played with different rules.

What is building the pyramid in Ride Pyramid?

Building the pyramid is constructing a virtual pyramid by playing the game. You ride a rollercoaster through the pyramid, collect coins, and avoid obstacles to score points.

The higher your points, the higher you go up the pyramid, which is the game’s ultimate goal. Building the pyramid is like measuring how good you are at the game and shows how much progress you’ve made.

How does the bottom row work in Ride the Bus?

The bottom row in Ride the Bus is made up of five cards. These cards are used for the “ride the bus” round, where players must guess the value of the cards. The players that guess incorrectly must drink.

How does the game progress if a player guesses the correct value of their first two cards?

If a player guesses the correct value of their first two cards, they can move on to the next level of the pyramid without taking a drink.

What happens if a player guesses the wrong value of their first two cards?

If a player guesses the wrong value of their first two cards, they must “ride the bus,” which means guessing the value of the cards on the bottom row. If they guess incorrectly, they must drink a pre-determined amount.

What is the top card in Ride the Bus?

The top card in Ride the Bus is the last card of the pyramid. If a plPyramidesses the value of this card correctly, they are done playing and do not have to “ride the bus.”

What happens if multiple players guess the same number of cards in Ride the Bus?

If multiple players guess the same number of cards in Ride the Bus, they are all “ready to ride” and must guess the value of the bottom cards to determine who has to “ride the bus.”

What happens if a player cannot match a card on the bottom row in Ride the Bus?

If a player cannot match a card on the bottom row in Ride the Bus, they must “ride the bus.”

How many cards can be laid down in Ride the Bus?

Multiple cards can be laid down at once in Ride the Bus if their values match.

Is “Ride the Bus” the same as “Get off the Bus” in Ride the Bus Game?

Yes, “Ride the Bus” and “Get off the Bus” are the same thing in Ride the Bus Game.

Dan Smullen Beer is my life profile

Hi, I'm Dan, founder of BeerIsMyLife. I've been an avid homebrewer for over ten years, and beer is my true passion. I've traveled all over the world, visiting breweries, tasting beer, as well as making my own batches. I set up this blog to share that experience with you.